Aide En Ami
by Dana Hale
Summary: What would happen in En Ami if Mulder did receive the wire tapes Scully sent to him in the mail. Scully is AWOL with the Smoking Man. Who's aiding who? UST. Completed!
1. May be the last time we see Scully alive

TITLE: "Aide En Ami"

AUTHOR: Dana Hale

RATING: T

KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully UST. Angst. Alternate Ending.

SPOILERS: En Ami, Redux II, The Red and the Black, Fight the Future

SUMMARY: What would happen in "En Ami" if Mulder did receive the wire tapes Scully sent to him by mail. Story picks up at the point where and Mulder and the Lone Gunmen enter Skinner's office. Scully has gone off with Smoking Man. Who's aiding who?

DISCLAIMER: The X-Files television show and characters belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and the Fox Corporation.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: After years of being an avid reader of X-Files fan fiction I decided to take the plunge and try my hand at being a writer. I watched all nine seasons of the show when it aired and now I have all nine seasons on DVD so I can still get my Mulder/Scully fix. So, here it is; my first fanfic. Don't know where I'll go from here, but thanks to all who help keep the show alive over the world wide web.

* * *

"Are you aware of a federal fugitive, code name Cobra?" Mulder didn't wait for Skinner's response and continued to speak. "For the past six months Cobra's been e-mailing Scully from the Department of Defense where he works on a shadow project for advanced research." 

The Lone Gunmen pulled up Scully's email account to show Skinner.

"She has a relationship with him?" Skinner replied.

"No. Somebody posing as Scully hacked into her computer and has been capturing all her e-mail. Passing themselves off as Scully in order to win Cobra's trust. The last five exchanges hint at a meeting where they're going to exchange information on the project Cobra's working on."

"Who's been in her computer?" Skinner questioned Mulder.

"Smoking Man. Or someone working for him. You got to get to him now," Mulder quickly replied.

"You of all people should know that you just don't get to him."

"Well, if you don't get to him it may be the last time we see Scully alive."

Skinner stared blankly at Mulder and then sighed heavily. He looked at the Lone Gunman and then back at Mulder. "Could we have some privacy here?" Skinner whispered to Mulder.

Byers, sensing that they were no longer welcomed, started to shut down Scully's laptop. "Uh, Mulder, we'll see if we can pull up a few more of these emails. You know where to find us. Keep us posted, okay?" Mulder nodded and the Gunmen exited the room.

Mulder turned his attention back to Skinner. "Sir, if you can do anything..."

"There might be a way. Give me a couple of hours. I'll get back with you."

* * *

"Your package arrived, sir," the Black-Haired Man said. 

"Thank you. Any word from Cobra?"

"No. But I expect that we'll find out more when we see him at dinner tomorrow. He's very anxious to meet Scully."

"I'm sure he is," CGB Spender replied with a sly grin, as he opened the package and admired the silky black dress contained inside. "Too bad you're going to have to kill him once he gives Scully what we need."

* * *

_To: dscully fbi.gov_

_From: cobra dod.gov_

_Subject: Meeting_

_I can't wait to finally meet you, Dana, to see your beautiful face._ _I am so grateful for your discretion and trust. We have to be very careful now...there are those that would kill for this information. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to find someone like you to share this with. We have the same dreams, you and I. To have you join me in this endeavor_ _means so much to me. See you at dinner. Wear something nice, okay? I'm planning a special evening for the both of us._

Mulder stared at the email, reading it over for the hundredth time in his dark apartment, trying to glean any clues. The more he read it, the more worried he became. What was Smoking Man up to? Why would she lie to me about this, he thought. Was she taken by force? She wouldn't willingly go with him, would she? Did she know the danger she was getting into? A soft knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. Closing the laptop, Mulder realized that his headache had grown worse. He got up to open the door.

Skinner walked in. "I have some new information," he said. "You told me that Scully was out investigating Jason McPeck's miraculous recovery from cancer. I decided to go out there myself to talk with him and his parents. Jason said he was healed by angels who looked like men. They came from out of the sky in a ball of light. Turns out he has the same scar on the base of his neck that Scully does."

"The chip," Mulder stated simply, seemingly unsurprised. "Scully never did tell me what she found out about Jason. She must have suspected that it was the chip that saved him. So you think Smoking Man was there?"

"Mrs. McPeck told me she saw a man waiting for Scully in her car. She remembered seeing him use the car lighter to light his cigarette. He talked with Scully for a few minutes and then he got out of the car and left."

"What if this 'Cobra' is the one who originally developed the chip?" Mulder put his hands on his hips and paused to think. "Smoking Man probably lured Scully into thinking that he could provide her with more information about the chip's technology. And now he's using her to get that information for himself- to keep the project going."

"There's more," Skinner said. "I had dispatch run some traces on phone numbers last called from your office phone. One of the calls was made just a few minutes before Scully requisitioned the fleet sedan. The number turned out to be for a D.C. area office building rented out to none other than CGB Spender, the Smoking Man. I had some agents check out the office building."

"And?"

"And, it's empty now. Cleaned out. Whatever he's doing, he's gone to great lengths to set her up. And since she didn't tell you about this, it makes me wonder what he's got over her head to keep her quiet. It's obvious he's intentionally splitting you two apart, since your email from DARPA didn't pan out. You could be in danger, Mulder."

"Not as much as she is."

* * *


	2. What else is on that tape?

* * *

When Mulder walked into his office early the next morning, the Lone Gunmen were there waiting for him.

"Hey Mulder, listen to this," Langly said. He put a cassette tape into the stereo system and pushed 'Play'. Mulder's eyes grew wide as he recognized Scully's voice on the tape.

_Mulder, I'm trusting you'll be able to make sense of what's on this tape. I had no other way of contacting you. Please try to understand that I weighed the risks. I couldn't divulge these plans without risking them and I promise you that I weighed everything. Our current location is northbound on the upstate expressway. We are driving_ _my FBI fleet sedan. I will promise I will get these tapes to you as fast as I can._

Langly pushed 'Stop'.

"Where did you get that?" Mulder demanded.

"You really should go through your mail more often. Two envelopes containing cassette tapes were mailed here to your office," Frohike said. "One is post-marked two days ago and the other one post-marked yesterday. I recognized Scully's handwriting on the envelopes. You gonna arrest us for opening your mail, G-Man?"

"You recognized Scully's handwriting? What, don't tell me she's been secretly sending you love letters too," Mulder quipped.

"He wishes!" Langly joked.

"Shut up, hippie jerk!" Frohike yelled back.

"What else is on that tape?" Mulder questioned. "Is she okay?"

"We haven't listened to all of it yet. Thought you might like to do that yourself," Byers said as he handed Mulder the other envelope. "Looks like you need to head north. We can set up a satellite to track the expressway for her sedan."

"That won't be necessary," Mulder said. He grabbed the first tape out of the stereo and ran out of the office.

* * *

"You know that she's carrying a wire," the Black-Haired Man stated. "She's mailing tapes to Mulder."

Spender blew out a puff of smoke from his Morley. "Of course she is. I wouldn't expect anything less from her. Mulder will find out where we are. It's only a matter of time. I had him sent on that wild goose chase to DARPA to get him out of the way in the beginning, so that I could win her trust. But now the pieces are falling into place. Let him come."

* * *

Mulder headed his Ford Taurus northbound on the expressway, listening to the tapes Scully sent him.

_You question my sincerity. You think I'm heartless. Would it soften your opinion of me if I confessed that I've always had a particular affection for you? I assure you my intentions are honorable. I have affection for Mulder, too. My affection for you is special. I held your life in my hands. Your cancer was terminal. I had a cure. Can you imagine what that's like- to have the power to extinguish a life or to save it and let it flourish? Now, to give you that power, so you can do the same._

Now Mulder understood. Spender was making this too personal for her. Scully was questioning Spender's intentions, but the scientist and doctor in her could not ignore his offer. He couldn't blame her; Mulder remembered how desperate he was to find a cure for Scully's cancer. He had played along with Spender's antics then, so why wouldn't she do the same now? She had been given the chance to finally find out how the technology works and use it to save others. But Mulder's blood boiled nonetheless. It was far more dangerous this time; she was being blind-sided. And the way Spender was talking to her, playing with her emotions, pinning down her character- how dare he have an affection for her.

_There was a time when you feared for your future, for your career when you were first partnered with this man. You're drawn to powerful men but you fear their power. You keep your guard up, a wall around your heart. How else do you explain that fearless devotion to a man obsessed, and yet, a life alone? You'd die for Mulder but you won't allow yourself to love him._

He didn't know if he could listen to any more of this. It sickened him. But he had to. There had to be a clue as to where they were headed. When the first tape ended, he popped it out and put the second tape in. All Mulder wanted to do was rip the guy's throat out. But after what he heard next, he wanted to put a thousand bullets through that bastard's chest.

_How do you take your coffee?_

_Unadulterated, thank you. You drugged me._

_I did nothing of the sort._

_How the hell did I get out of my clothes and into bed?_

_I carried you. You'd been up for over 30 hours. You were delirious. I only wanted to make you comfortable._

_Where are we?_

_Milford, Pennsylvania._

* * *


	3. Dressed like THAT?

* * *

Mulder had settled into his hotel room in Milford. His next step was to start asking the locals if they'd seen Scully. As he prepared to leave, his cell phone rang. "Mulder," he answered.

"Mulder, we've got trouble." It was Byers. "We've hacked into Cobra's email. Cobra is not what he seems. He's been working closely with a man known to have connections to CGB Spender. This man and Cobra are planning on turning the upcoming meeting with Scully into a blood bath. They want to get rid of her and Spender so that they can keep the technology to themselves."

"I need to get to her. I'm in Milford Pennsylvania. I'm pretty sure she's here somewhere. Let Skinner know what's going on."

Mulder hung up the phone. "Dammit!" he exclaimed. "Where are you, Scully?"

As he got into the car, his cell phone rang again. "What now?" he yelled.

"Mulder, it's me," he barely heard Scully whisper.

"Scully! Are you all right? Where are you?" Mulder frantically spat out.

"I can't talk long. I'm in Milford Pennsylvania."

"So am I. I got your tapes."

"Black Walnut Restaurant. Dinner with Spender. Six o'clock tonight. Keep your distance."

"Scully, wait..." But it was too late. She had hung up.

* * *

"I have the information ready on CD," Cobra said.

"Good. He doesn't suspect a thing. Still thinks Scully will hand it over to him. Those emails you wrote to Scully that he captured did the trick," the Black-Haired Man said.

"We're still doing the exchange at Calico Cove?"

"First light of day tomorrow," the Black-Haired Man said quietly and hung up the phone.

* * *

The waiter showed Mulder to a table in the corner of the restaurant. Mulder anxiously waited for any sight of Scully and that Son-of-a... Mulder's thoughts were quickly diffused as he spotted Scully walking down the stairs looking rather, uh, wow, looking rather...wow. Mulder couldn't come up with the right words for what she looked like in that elegant black dress; soft fabric clinging to every perfect curve, almost-bare shoulders, low-cut. Definitely low cut. She glowed. He was speechless. Breathless. Stunned. Paralyzed. Electrified. And totally turned on. He didn't want to take his eyes off her, but he forced himself to when Spender appeared behind her. Mulder quickly hid behind his menu and silently reprimanded himself for the thoughts he was having about his partner in that dress.

As Scully sipped her wine, Spender proceeded to tell her about Cobra and what this new technology is capable of. Mulder scanned the rest of the restaurant and noticed another man sitting by himself, next to Scully's table, who seemed very interested in what Scully and Spender were talking about. After a few minutes, Spender got up and excused himself. Mulder saw the man next to Scully's table stand up and walk over to Scully. He discreetly laid a piece of paper in front of her, and then quickly disappeared among the bustle of waiters and waitresses carrying their trays.

Mulder stood and quietly made his way outside into the cool of the evening. Keeping a distance, he noticed Spender lighting his cigarette and speaking to a man Mulder didn't recognize.

"Cobra hasn't shown," Mulder overheard Spender say.

"What do you want to do?" The Black-Haired Man asked.

"Wait. What else can we do?"

"What trust you've won...Scully won't stick around forever. What's wrong?"

"Just do your damn job."

Mulder ran back into the restaurant, grabbed Scully by her arm, and hustled her into the ladies restroom. Fortunately the room was empty. Mulder locked the door.

"What the HELL are you doing with HIM dressed like...dressed like...THAT!" Mulder exclaimed as he looked at her up and down.

"Mulder, calm down! We don't have time for this!"

Mulder paced back and forth across the bathroom floor. Remembering all that had transpired since that moment, he took a deep breath. He took hold of Scully's shoulders. "Scully, look. You have to listen to me very carefully. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. It's a trap. You're in danger."

"Mulder, I've taken a lot of precautions..."

"Scully, listen to what I'm saying. This man 'Cobra' is playing Spender for a fool. He doesn't want Spender to have this technology, and now that you're involved, he's planning on killing both you and Spender when the exchange is made."

"Where did you hear that?"

"It doesn't matter. Cobra was here tonight. He handed you that piece of paper. We need to get you out of here."

"Mulder, no. I'm too close to getting us the proof we need. Calico Cove, first light of day," Scully said as she held up the piece of paper Cobra gave her.

"No. We're getting out of here. No matter what he's said to you, Spender can't be trusted. And neither can Cobra."

"Dammit, Mulder! This is what we've been waiting for! I'm willing to take the risk. I'm the one with this THING in my neck. What if it stops working? What if I start to get nosebleeds again? What if they use it to track me down, to take me and perform more tests! You have no idea what it's like not knowing...what they could do...This way we can have control. We can save others. We can know the truth. The TRUTH, Mulder, remember that? Your quest? Your life?"

Mulder put his hands on Scully's face, rubbing his thumbs across her cheeks and looking straight into her eyes with sheer intensity. But somehow his voice was gentle. "Scully, I have come so close to losing you so many times. Don't think that I don't have the same questions, the same fears. Let me handle this alone. You're right. This is MY quest. MY LIFE." And as he said those last two words, he squeezed her face to let her know that he meant she was his life.

She didn't miss the meaning in the grasp of his hands. She then cupped one of her hands to his face. "This is OUR quest, OUR life, and you know it." Scully replied with the same intensity in her eyes.

Mulder didn't know what to say. She glanced at the bathroom door. "Spender will wonder where I am. I need to get back. Calico Cove. First light of day."

"Scully..." But before he could argue with her any further, she broke away from him and was already out the door.

* * *

Author's note: Coming in Chapter 4: shots are fired, Mulder yells "Scully get down!", a twisting of the plot, drama, intrigue, people die...makes you want to review me and beg for more, doesn't it? 


	4. The showdown at Calico Cove

* * *

The sun came up and the fog around the inlet at Calico Cove burned off quickly. The Black-Haired Man assembled his gun near the edge of the water, hidden behind the thick camouflage of green foliage. He looked through his scope, taking aim at the middle of the peaceful inlet. In a few minutes it will all be mine, he thought. Cobra won't know what hit him. Spender will finally get what's due him, and Scully will be out of the way for good. Maybe he could even get a shot on Mulder. He's supposed to be around here somewhere, he thought. And then I will have that CD in my hands. And all the power.

* * *

Mulder followed Scully's sedan from a distance, praying that she knew what she was doing. It only took a few minutes to get to the Cove. When Scully and Spender got out of the car, Mulder hid himself out of sight near the dock to hear what they were saying.

"Calico Inlet is fifteen minutes out. South end."

"What do I do when I get there?" Scully asked.

"I don't know. Just wait. Be careful."

As Scully got in the boat and started the engine, Mulder high-tailed it back to his car and drove unseen to the south end of the inlet.

* * *

Cobra could hear Scully's boat approaching in the distance. He took out the CD from his jacket pocket. Too bad this disc is empty, he thought to himself. Even though she's a pretty girl, I can't let anyone have this knowledge. He put the CD back in his pocket and reached for his gun that he had placed at the bottom of the boat. Spender and his so-called right-hand man must die today, he thought. And sorry Scully, but you got too close, you already know too much.

* * *

Mulder was positioned at the south end of the inlet. He saw Scully approach the middle of the inlet in her boat. Mulder took out his gun and prepared to protect her in any way that he could. Little did Mulder know that the Black-Haired Man was a few yards away, tracking his scope right on Scully.

Cobra appeared in his boat a few seconds later. The whole inlet went quiet as the two boat motors were turned off and the waves on the water subsided. Mulder saw Cobra stand in his boat to greet Scully. He handed her the CD. And then all hell broke lose.

The Black-Haired Man fired a shot at Cobra but missed. Cobra instinctively pulled out his gun and started shooting off rounds in the Black-Haired Man's direction.

"Scully get down!" Mulder shouted.

The Black-Haired Man fired off another shot, this time hitting Cobra square in the chest, killing him instantly. As he fell into the water, Scully tried to pull Cobra up into her boat, but another shot rang out. The Black-Haired Man had taken aim at her this time. Scully ducked back inside her boat.

Mulder was frantically trying to figure out where the shots were coming from. He ran through the trees and finally spotted the Black-Haired Man, who had already squeezed the trigger again. "NO!" Mulder screamed. He looked back to the lake and saw the blood pour out from Scully's shoulder. He watched in horror as she fell out of the boat and disappeared under the water. Mulder headed straight for the Black-Haired Man, gun aimed, and was just about to pull his trigger when yet another shot was heard. The Black-Haired Man fell face down to the ground, right in front of Mulder, dead. Mulder looked up and saw Spender holding a smoking gun in one hand and a burning cigarette in the other. Mulder froze and stood in disbelief. Spender stared Mulder down. Time felt like it ceased. All was too quiet now.

"Scully..." Mulder chanted, suddenly being broken out of his trance. Mulder left Spender and ran to the lake as fast as he could, dove into the water and swam hysterically to her boat.

"SCULLY!" Mulder yelled in a panic. She was nowhere to be seen. "SCULLY!" he screamed louder. Nothing. Mulder took a huge gulp of air and went below the surface. The water was murky and he couldn't see anything. He came back up. "SCULLY! Scully, oh my God, Scully...SCULLY!" Nothing.

* * *


	5. Hallway Scene Revisited

* * *

Just when he thought it had been too late, he heard splashing near the edge of the woods. Scully popped up out of the water and somehow hoisted herself onto dry land. He heard her gasping for air. "SCULLY!" Mulder swam wildly back to the shore towards her. When he reached her, she was coughing and spitting out water. Her shoulder was still bleeding. He crawled out of the water and tried to hold her, but she jerked away. She got up from the ground, still coughing and spitting and holding her wounded left shoulder with her right hand. "Scully?" Mulder questioned. "Scully, you're hurt. Let me see..."

"I'm fine Mulder. I'm fine. Just a flesh wound," she said as her coughing subsided. She then held up her left hand to Mulder, revealing the shiny disc that she had safeguarded.

"Come on," he said to her. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Back at Mulder's apartment, Mulder and Scully stood around the Lone Gunmen. Frohike put the CD into the laptop computer. They waited. The CD drive hummed and the computer beeped. The screen went black. They waited some more. And then Frohike said, "There's nothing on this."

"It's empty," Langly offered.

"Completely, Byers added.

"No, it can't be." Scully was exasperated. "It can't be. It's got to be on there." Scully attempted to boot the CD once more. Empty. Her heart sank and her stomach flipped. She felt sick. Used. Ashamed. She had risked her life. Mulder's life. For NOTHING.

"You were right, Mulder. I should have walked away. What the hell was I thinking? Who are these people? Why must the truth always stay buried? I risked it all for NOTHING! NOTHING!" Scully ran out of the apartment and barreled down the hallway towards the elevator. Mulder ran after her, just as he did at another time, in the same hallway a few years back.

"Scully, please don't go!"

She stopped, turned around, and with tears in her eyes, said softly, "You were right." She looked defeated.

He slowly walked up to her and gently took her in his arms, being careful of the bandage wrapped around her shoulder. She allowed herself the pleasure and the comfort of once again being held by Mulder. He placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "We have a lot of life to live yet," he said calmly.

Scully released herself from his embrace and took hold of his hands and squeezed. Their eyes locked. Reluctantly, she let go of his hands, one and at a time, breaking their connection. She turned away to walk to the elevator. Mulder watched her push the 'Down' button and then he returned back to his apartment.

End

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading! 


End file.
